Social capital - Power to the people

Drumbaragh National School is a rural four-teacher school in Meath near the historic town of Kells.

It may become historic for another reason. Teachers and parents were anxious to provide a school hall for use by the pupils in physical education, concerts and Christmas plays. The only trouble was that there was no funding available. What to do? Protest and complain? Not a bit of it. Parents decided to, literally, take matters into their own hands and build the facilities themselves.

Among them and friends of the school there were blocklayers, carpenters, engineers, painters, plumbers and site manager workers. Various fundraising activities were undertaken to pay for the materials. All the labour on the project was provided free of charge. The building is now finished and opened yesterday.

A remarkable and laudable example of first-class people power.